Tuesday, October 12, 2010

So, I see this tweet come over Tweetdeck from the WAGOP. It's a retweet from Koster4Congress. John Koster is the GOP candidate for Washington's 2nd Congressional District running against Rick Larsen. It is a link to his latest email talking about Rick's latest ad against him. Granted, as FactCheck.org points out, the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge does not state in writing that co-signers support outsourcing jobs. However, I need to point out that the Pledge also does not state in writing that co-signers support in-sourcing of jobs. The fact is that Americans for Tax Reform doesn't say anything about jobs because they don't CARE about jobs. They care about taxes. Low taxes. Taxes so low that the government can't do anything to prevent the outsourcing of jobs. So, in other words, Factcheck.org is correct, and the co-signers of the Americans for Tax Reform Pledge are idiots.

We knew that.

However, I did not know that John Koster was so totally ignorant about the United States until I went to his Issue Summary page.

John Koster has never heard of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Government Spending vs. GDP was higher in the 1940's, and the National Debt was higher in the 1940's. So when Koster says "uncharted economic waters", he is lying. When he says incomprehensible spending, it means he doesn't know how to read. I agree about unconscionable deficits, but when someone makes that claim AND says that he is proud to have signed the pledge from Americans for Tax Reform, then it means that he would rather see deficits and debt than actually collect the tax revenue that would be needed to balance the budget and reduce the debt.

Our "founding document" is the Constitution of the United States. The Declaration of Independence was a resolution. The purpose of government is defined in the Constitution as follows:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

I know that conservatives would like to toss the first three of these and just focus on the military and "freedom", but if they want to be considered American they really should try to support all of the goals of our government.

Does a well funded military mean that the Pentagon doesn't have to keep track of their money? When was the last comprehensive audit performed of the Department of Defense? Where exactly does all of that money go, anyway?

Koster seems to believe that suspected terrorists do not have any rights. Of course, he knows exactly who he means when he says this, wink, wink... I'm sure it's frustrating for him to be living in a nation of laws instead of a nation of winks and nods.

George Washington was not able to board a plane and step off into the streets of Paris in 10 hours. Any conflict, anywhere on the planet, can reach our shores in a matter of hours. That makes every conflict a legitimate concern for our national interest and security.

Being a veteran myself, I'm glad Koster supports our military veterans. I also support their families, and I support their right to come home to an economy that can support them.

I wonder if Koster considers the FDA standards of farm safety to be excessive. And repealing those standards would result in what? Oh, yeah. Disease and death.

Small businesses (making less than $5M) and farmers should be exempt from the Federal Estate Tax. But it should certainly apply to stock speculators.

Free Market = low wages. Free enterprise = no regulations and no consumer protection. Money that is reinvested into a small business is NOT TAXED. Only money that is brought home in a paycheck is taxed. Jobs are created by demand, not wealth. Don't talk to me about "S" Corporations.

We ARE drilling on American soil. We don't have enough to meet the demand. And Koster doesn't seem to believe in Climate Change, risking our children's future on his "right to keep the fruits of our labor" dogma.

What would have been "sound economic policy" would have been to reverse the Reagan Tax Cuts and balance the budget in 2010. We could have done it. We should have done it.

I give up. Everything I'm reading on his issues page is right wing "Boehner is my King" garbage.

Rick Larsen may not be perfect, but at least I know he shares most of my values. John Koster doesn't seem to share any of them. And that means he is the wrong choice for the 2nd Congressional District.

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About Me

Chad Lupkes is a progressive political activist in Seattle, Washington. After fighting cancer in 2003 and realizing that 47+ Million people in the United States didn't have access to health care he determined that that will change.